The Premier League is boring now: A tactical way to save it

"The last time the league felt stuck like this was about a decade ago. Despite TV revenues that were lapping the rest of Europe, the best Premier League teams -- how can I put this? -- stunk. The league offered nothing unique from a tactical or talent perspective. The best soccer was being played in Germany, Spain, and even Italy."

"The following season was the first with Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola in England, and all the problems were almost immediately solved. Liverpool and Manchester City quickly became two of the best teams in the world, and they both did it through compelling risk-forward soccer: Man City by attempting to dominate possession to a degree we'd never seen outside of continental Europe, Liverpool through their vertical, high-pressing heavy metal football."

"Through 28 weeks, Premier League teams have combined for 505 open-play goals -- the fewest since the 2020-21 pandemic season. And if we remove that one season in the history of England's top flight when there were no fans in [the stadiums], this represents an unprecedented decline in open-play scoring."

The Premier League faces a creative stagnation similar to a decade ago, though the circumstances differ. Ten years prior, continental European teams like Bayern Munich and Barcelona outperformed English clubs tactically and technically. The arrival of Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola transformed English soccer through innovative, risk-forward approaches that dominated the following decade. Currently, Premier League teams possess superior financial resources and European performance compared to competitors, yet the league suffers from diminished tactical diversity. Set plays have proliferated unexpectedly, resulting in the fewest open-play goals in Premier League history outside the pandemic season, indicating a fundamental shift in how the game is being played.

Read at ESPN.com